20 February 2015
Lengthy process to delineate dunes riding areas finally comes to a close
A nearly 20-year old directive aimed at regulating the use of off-road vehicles on national forest land is finally coming to a conclusion on the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Siuslaw National Forest Supervisor Jerry Ingersoll released his decision on the “Designated Routes”; also called the “10-C” project; January 29th. Recreation Planner Angie Morris says the decision expands riding areas throughout the dunes stretching from the North Spit of Coos Bay to the South Bank of the Siuslaw River.
Angie Morris – “Primarily a lot of the reallocations and a lot of the newly designated routes are in the North Riding Area where there’s actually a lot more management area 10-C land.”
That means the bulk of the additional 2.3 miles of riding trails and 518 acres of dunes will be available for ATVs, motorcycles and dune buggies near Florence. Morris says much of the additional areas are covered with non-native vegetation that the agency is not interested in protecting. That could ultimately help out with another effort… restoring more of the open sand.
Angie Morris – “We are beginning a restoration project with one of the goals to reduce the amount of non-native vegetation and to reestablish open dunes and the dynamic environment that’s been kind of stifled by the presence of non-native vegetation.”
Nearly all of that vegetation was introduced intentionally beginning more than 60 years ago. Over the years it has spread, reducing open sand areas to just a fraction of what they used to be.
More information on the current action can be found at http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/fs-usda-pop.php/?project=34220
